Chinese engineers have developed a robot worthy of Terminator, capable of going from solid state to liquid state, and vice versa.
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In addition to surpassing fiction, this innovation might benefit medicine, the “7sur7” newspaper reported.
Engineers from two Chinese universities unveiled the robot on January 25 and explained that they were inspired by the functioning of the sea cucumber, which can change the consistency of its body to make it soft or solid, depending on its needs.
The robot was built with a metal with a melting temperature of 29.8 degrees Celsius, to which the researchers added magnetic particles that allow the robot to move or solidify.
The problem: the robot does not return to its original shape, and must be remoulded, then cooled.
“Giving robots the ability to transition from liquid to solid state gives them more functionality,” explained Chengfeng Pan, one of the authors of the research.
The engineers also tested the robot in an artificial stomach to deposit drugs or remove foreign bodies. These features are possible thanks to the object’s “phase transition magneto-active matter”.
The robot is however only at the prototype stage and will have to be improved before saving lives.